I bent down and gave her a kiss, and then we stared into each other's eyes for a good few moments, intense attraction gushing through me. This woman was really putting a spell on me... and it wasn't an entirely bad thing. It had been so long since I'd last felt this way about anyone, so long...
Still, I couldn't linger. There was a serious situation that needed attending to, and I had to get there right away – and it was great to see that Vivienne not only understood but that she was supportive as well.
"Thank you so much, Vivienne... for everything. I'll see you soon."
"Make sure you don't forget your phone this time," she said with a wink.
I chuckled, relieved to have some levity in what was sure to be a grave situation.
"Believe me; I won't! See you later."
"Be careful, handsome," she said with a flirty smile, and as soon as I was out the door, I was missing her already. I thought briefly of messaging her to say that but then figured that it might come off as coming on too strong, too soon, so I left it.
My mind shifted into a different state; my focus became razor sharp, and my sense of purpose was powerfully driven. While I had been pissed off that the scumbag Mr. Mask had shot me, now that he, or one of his accomplices, had shot a kid at my school, I was beyond pissed. Now it was personal.
I drove fast and hard and got to the school in record time. The ambulance with the kid was just leaving, but some police cars with their lights flashing were parked out front, as was Ben's car. He was there chatting with a police officer. I parked my truck, jumped out, and ran over to Ben and the cop.
"Ben, I got here as quickly as I could," I said as soon as I reached him.
"I called you as soon as I was made aware of what happened. I only just got here myself. Oh, by the way, this is Captain Walter Smith. He's in charge of the whole Rocket investigation. Walter, this is Everett James, our new principal."
"Nice to meet you," I said as I shook Captain Smith’s hand.
"Likewise," Smith replied.
"So, what can you guys tell me? Firstly, who was it that got shot?" I asked.
Ben sighed. "His name is Kendrick Green. Good kid, real good kid. Fantastic basketball player; the kid's got some serious talent. He's a 10th-grader."
I nodded, digesting this information. "And he was mixed up with Rocket?"
"No, not at all, actually. He was totally clean. Straight and narrow, this kid is a real star, Everett, a real star."
"So how did he end up getting shot today if he's not involved in this Rocket business?" I questioned.
"He and some buddies were here on the school grounds shooting hoops. They come most weekends; like I said, he's got some serious talent on the basketball court. Anyway, he took a break, went to the bathrooms to take a leak or whatever, and that's when he stumbled across a dealer selling to some kids. Thinking he could be a hero, he got his phone out and started filming. The dealer saw him and demanded that he hand the phone over. Kendrick refused. There was a scuffle, and the dealer got a gun out and shot him."
"Damn. Damn it! These scumbags!" I barked.
"I know. I know," Ben agreed.
"Do we at least have the phone with the evidence on it?"
Ben sighed and shook his head. "No. The dealer got away with it. We've got nothing."
"What about the kids who were buying the drugs? Surely, they saw something? They must know who this dealer is, where to find him. Was it Mr. Mask himself, or just one of his lackeys?"
"The buyers fled the scene. Kendrick says he recognized them. They are students at our school, but older than him. He says he knows everyone in his grade. But he doesn't know their names, so we're going to have to get some yearbooks to him in the hospital so he can look through the photos and ID the kids who were involved. As for the dealer, it didn't sound like Mr. Mask. From the description, it could well be an accomplice of his."
I could sense that Ben didn't want to go too in-depth with this, at least not with this cop present. Maybe he thought we would get into trouble because of our little "independent" investigation we were conducting on the side, or maybe he just didn't trust this cop. Either way, I decided not to push the issue for the moment. Instead, I decided to see what I could find out about this cop.
"So, Captain Smith," I said to him. "What are your thoughts on this? You got any leads?"
He frowned. "Right now, until we have an official statement from the witness and positive ID on the kids who were buying the drug, there isn't much I can do."
"Official statement? But what about everything Ben just said?" I asked.
"Kendrick said that stuff to me," interjected Ben.